as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
her assistant fumbled the party plans by getting the time wrong on the invitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grope
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
the librarian fumbled for the light switch as she entered the dark room
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fumble
Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
In 2023, McCloud forced three fumbles and had one interception for the Giants.
—Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
These are both great, morally complex characters with compelling stories and the trailer certainly looks terrific:
However much Disney has fumbled the Star Wars IP over the last decade, the animated stuff has mostly been quite good.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Last season, Gordon played in 15 games with 13 starts and had five passes defensed, four tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.
—Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
In 2023, McCloud forced three fumbles and had one interception for the Giants.
—Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
These are both great, morally complex characters with compelling stories and the trailer certainly looks terrific:
However much Disney has fumbled the Star Wars IP over the last decade, the animated stuff has mostly been quite good.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
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There have been expensive product mistakes and lots of trial and error with brushes, clips, hair dryers….—
Liz Krieger,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
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Understand exactly what damages authority on LinkedIn and methodically eliminate those mistakes from your profile, posts, and engagement strategy.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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April 17, 2025 The wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may occur, the National Weather Service advised.—
Ashley Fredde,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Apr. 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jurors found that Oscar Medrano, 39, groped three women and a 15-year-old girl within a 48-hour period last December.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
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The boy, whom The Denver Post is not identifying, said Hedges groped and assaulted him after the boy laid down to sleep at one of two cabins the team was staying in during the trip to Taos in northern New Mexico.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But the team with the biggest quarterback blunder from 2018 was the Arizona Cardinals, who made the decision to trade up to the No. 10 pick to take Josh Rosen.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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This week’s White House Report Card could have been a bad one, considering court rulings against President Donald Trump, staffing blunders, and a lack of movement on his tariff war that is starting to scare his supporters.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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JoJo Siwa Lashes Out at Paparazzi Over 'Bizarre' Migrant Crisis Question By Sophie Clark Live News Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 Mickey Rourke is reportedly looking to sue a U.K. TV station after being booted from Celebrity Big Brother only six days into the show.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Following three straight shutouts of the Rockies, Cease ran the team’s scoreless streak to 37 innings — three shy of the 1984 team record — before Manny Machado cracked the door open in the fourth inning by booting Justin Turner’s leadoff grounder.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Mikko has food aversion, often eating only certain colors and textures, so the family looks for grocery stores and lodging that have a kitchen or at least a microwave.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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According to the Reuters article, SpaceX was looking at partnering with defense tech firms Palantir and Anduril.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Declan Rice tripped him from behind to earn a yellow card.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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For the listener, the journey is both thrilling and desultory, like hanging out sober while your friend trips on mushrooms.—
Carrie Brownstein,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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